Norbreeze Group is a distribution and retail specialist founded in 2004. For more than 10 years, Norbreeze has been bringing luxury lifestyle brands to the Southeast Asian market. With a team of over 300 employees, Norbreeze operates 42 retail stores, distributing brands like Timberland, Bering, Monica Vinader and Cath Kidston, across Singapore, Malaysia and Macau.
Disparate systems meant unreliable data
In order to expand the business, Norbreeze needed a new software solution that could give the company visibility over their business. Norbreeze, which at the time operated 16 stores, was using disparate software solutions. Because of bad communication among the systems, the company was lacking an integrated view of sales, accurate stock information or customer information. Norbreeze was therefore unable to plan their staffing and inventory accurately, as they had no way to know their busiest times or most popular products . As Joan Fernandez, IT Analyst at Norbreeze Group explains, “Information on a delayed and irregular basis meant that our KPIs, such as top sellers and slow movers, were unreliable.” Norbreeze decided that they needed a new solution that would reconcile all of their data. With the help of IBIZ Consulting Services, an LS Retail implementation partner, they selected the LS Retail software solution, based on Microsoft Dynamics. They deployed a version hosted in the cloud. The result is a single system that the whole company can use. Since it is cloud-based, business data can be accessed from anywhere in the world, at any time. The new system is end-to-end, which means that all processes, from point of sale (POS) to back office, can be run through it.
A platform for growth
The deployment of the new system was easy and trouble-free. Since the implementation, Norbreeze has experienced an easy expansion, which brought quick return on investment. The new system solved all previous issues deriving from disparate systems. By having access to regular and precise information, the company also increased operational efficiency. Thanks to the back office access to near real-time financial information, Norbreeze has managed to eliminate many administrative duties.
Some other positive results the company experienced include:
- Facilitated fast expansion, as the company was able to expand rapidly from 16 to 42 stores.
- Norbreeze can now order stock more rationally, basing on demand. This has increased their bottom line, as customers are now more likely to find – and buy - what they are looking for when entering a Norbreeze store.
- Staffing levels can now be set to maximize customer service. Information on hourly customer activity at each store has allowed Norbreeze to reallocate staff to the right department at the right time.
- Faster month-end closing. End of the month reporting which used to take two weeks can now be done in mere days.
- Better management of offers. Norbreeze can now offer the right promotions to the right people, and see right away if a promotion is working.
- Improved customer loyalty program, as customers can now access their up-to-date sales history.
- HQ now can see POS data in near real-time, which has resulted in a more proactive company culture.
